Irish Sugar, Mallow

CaptainSkidmark · 06-08-2013 02:15AM #1

There 50(ish) flat's parked up in the siding across the road from the old sugar factory in mallow, But the access link seems to be taken up?

Whats the theory behind this? How will they get the flats out?

This is a very recent image. as all the flood works under the ten arch bridge are completed.

gobnaitolunacy · 06-08-2013 07:25AM

CaptainSkidmark wrote: »

There 50(ish) flat's parked up in the siding across the road from the old sugar factory in mallow, But the access link seems to be taken up?

Whats the theory behind this? How will they get the flats out?

This is a very recent image. as all the flood works under the ten arch bridge are completed.

Points used once in the blue moon are usually taken out to reduce maintainance.

By road truck is the only way they can be removed now. They're probably all seized up anyway from being idle.

corktina · 06-08-2013 09:17AM

sidings lookedempty ot me last time I passed...maybe being flats, I couldn't see them....will look again next time

davidlacey · 06-08-2013 10:00AM

The question is if allowed sugarbeet production to start up again in ireland, would the railway be carrying it?

CaptainSkidmark · 06-08-2013 02:18PM

corktina wrote: »

sidings lookedempty ot me last time I passed...maybe being flats, I couldn't see them....will look again next time

They are in a nice bit, dont think you can see them from the road.

CaptainSkidmark · 05-02-2017 03:13PM

So i had a snoop today with the drone, It appears they have moved the flats from the rear of the yard to the front of the yard, How? I have no idea? Also, half of them were completely covered in brambles as recent as last summer so they have removed all of the brambles also and removed the vegetation off the line going into the factory as far as the road so some reason.

But how did they move the flats when the access has been removed??

Flats were in this position until recent months but the rear section was totally covered in vegetation - GOOGLE MAPS
Screen%20Shot%202017-02-05%20at%2014.40.50_zpsonnsvjfv.png

Screen%20Shot%202017-02-05%20at%2014.40.50_zpsonnsvjfv.png

Access still removed

Flats have been moved

Sad sight, the large plant once stood here, now all that remains is the weigh bridge office and the church.

Heavy vegetation removed

h.gricer · 05-02-2017 07:24PM

davidlacey wrote: »

The question is if allowed sugarbeet production to start up again in ireland, would the railway be carrying it?

No probably not, it's not a question of ''IF'' production starts again, it's a question of ''WHEN'' sugarbeet will be back in business again in Ireland sooner or later, we have the ideal climate etc, but it definitely won't be on the railway and why would it be.
When production starts again in the future, starting from scratch, the new facility will probably be built close to the growers, in line with keeping costs down, the growers instead of queuing up at a railway station like Wellingtonbridge and taking the beet long distance to a factory in Mallow, they'll be queuing up at a local facility and eliminating long distance transport costs from their budget, makes more economic sense.

h.gricer · 05-02-2017 07:42PM

CaptainSkidmark wrote: »

There 50(ish) flat's parked up in How will they get the flats out?
.

They'll ether install a temporary connection or bring in a crane, but I don't think they are in any hurry as the wagons involved are only 40ft LPs, now if they were LXs 45s, well that would be a different story.
Regards
hg

CaptainSkidmark · 05-02-2017 08:12PM

But how did they move them is what id like to know?

All the posts before the photos are from 2013 FYI

Losty Dublin · 05-02-2017 09:02PM

CaptainSkidmark wrote: »

But how did they move them is what id like to know?

All the posts before the photos are from 2013 FYI

More than likely they were cut up on site. Lifting them onto trucks to scrap elsewhere would cost fortunes.

Del.Monte · 05-02-2017 09:07PM

What I would like to know is - who got my water tower and turntable - seriously? Anybody with definite information?

CaptainSkidmark · 05-02-2017 11:57PM

Losty Dublin wrote: »

More than likely they were cut up on site. Lifting them onto trucks to scrap elsewhere would cost fortunes.

No thats not what i mean, look at the photos. they were about 200m back the line but they have have moved toward the removed junction. How did they move?

Losty Dublin · 06-02-2017 09:41AM

CaptainSkidmark wrote: »

No thats not what i mean, look at the photos. they were about 200m back the line but they have have moved toward the removed junction. How did they move?

Sorry, I misread initially and now see what you mean. Maybe it's the work of the Mallow dorm ghost?

Captain Chaos · 06-02-2017 10:00AM

Just wondering were they some of the flats that were moved to run the extended 27 wagon IWT liner trail and the extra rake of flats that have been put aside in Northwall for the upcoming biomass services.

As far as I know IE still have around 250 flats that exist in a mix of LP and LX wagons. The remaining LK wagons at Dundalk were all cut up a few years ago without permission of Irish Rail.

For IWT and DFDS they need 3 sets of 18 wagons. Each set 12x LX and 4x LP or 14x LX and 2x LP. Thats 54 wagons and a few as spares for maintenance. There is about another 20 odd at Northwall awaiting use. So saw 80 odd flats in use for current requirements with 50 odd stored at Mallow. Still leaves around 100 odd flats missing or sotre somewhere around the network.

I think about 36 were converted to spoil wagons and the rest possibly on as CWR PWD trains. Not many left for future expansion of operations if those 50 odd are trapped at Mallow. Most of these were built in the 70s so I'd say alot of them are coming up and life expiration soon.

Isambard · 06-02-2017 10:28AM

presumably they dragged them with a road or road/rail vehicle , I assume in preparation for removing them

CaptainSkidmark · 06-02-2017 10:57AM

It must have been one hell of an effort to move all those. front and back pushing

h.gricer · 06-02-2017 02:09PM

CaptainSkidmark wrote: »

But how did they move them is what id like to know?

All the posts before the photos are from 2013 FYI

I do apologize, I misread your original post (well Sunday night, polishing off craft beer is my excuse)

A number of LPs were removed from the Mallow Beet Factory Sidings a while back, they were transported to Limerick wagon works for refurbishment for biomass traffic, when the work was complete they were transferred to Portlaoise, then after some months they were transferred to North Wall, I think they were removed from the Beet Factory Siding using a temporary connection, I don't know, I'm not sure.
Never scrap an LP, they'll find some use for them, refurbished LPs from somewhere else are now used on the ''yellow top wagons'' spoil or (muck) the LPs currently in the Beet Factory Sidings are ''stored'' and probably will be removed if this biomass traffic ever gets going, seems to be on hold at the moment.
Kind Regards
h.gricer

PS de craft beer was awful, absolute ****e, if ye want to be really really sick and have a head like a railway porters trolley, drink lots and lots of craft beer.

Fred Swanson · 06-02-2017 05:43PM

This post has been deleted.

h.gricer · 06-02-2017 07:00PM

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Mainline CTC at Connolly, before 2005 Banteer was a fringe box to the mainline CTC, there hasn't been a token between Mallow and Banteer for years, 1989 I think. The ground frame was released by the Mallow - Banteer token, from 1989 onwards it was released by Mainline CTC Connolly.
Regards
hg

08-02-2017 08:21AM

Captain Chaos wrote: »

For IWT and DFDS they need 3 sets of 18 wagons. Each set 12x LX and 4x LP or 14x LX and 2x LP. Thats 54 wagons and a few as spares for maintenance. There is about another 20 odd at Northwall awaiting use. So saw 80 odd flats in use for current requirements with 50 odd stored at Mallow. Still leaves around 100 odd flats missing or sotre somewhere around the network.

There's still loads on the turntable road in Tralee.

tabbey · 09-02-2017 07:23PM

h.gricer wrote: »

the wagons involved are only 40ft LPs, now if they were LXs 45s,
hg

I can understand the lengths of containers, but LP and LX?

Captain Chaos · 10-02-2017 08:29AM

tabbey wrote: »

I can understand the lengths of containers, but LP and LX?

They are just the codes Irish Rail use for the flats. LP flats are 42ft long, LX are 47ft. LKs are 42ft set up for keg cages. I'm no sure the L designation for the 62ft flats, think they are LY if memory serves me.

Isambard · 10-02-2017 09:33AM

my memory is sketchy but wasn't there a set of sidings the other side of the road too, parallel to the road and running along towards the Industrial units where the Irish Sugar locos operated?

CaptainSkidmark · 11-02-2017 08:22PM

there was 2 lines crossing the road and one siding adjacent to the road on the factory side i think, deffo nothing parallel to the road on the factory side anyway.

GM228 · 11-02-2017 09:39PM

Captain Chaos wrote: »

They are just the codes Irish Rail use for the flats. LP flats are 42ft long, LX are 47ft. LKs are 42ft set up for keg cages. I'm no sure the L designation for the 62ft flats, think they are LY if memory serves me.

There is no designation for the 62ft wagons.

Guinness pallets were carried on LP and LX wagons which retained their LP and LX designations, although on paper they were officially LPb and LXb, but that code wasn't actually used. Only the old 20ft Guinness wagons had a new code assigned to them.

There was no LK wagon, but there was the LYs - the first 98 42ft wagons (30001-30098), they later became known also as LPs like the rest of the 42ft wagons.

Isambard · 12-02-2017 10:08AM

CaptainSkidmark wrote: »

there was 2 lines crossing the road and one siding adjacent to the road on the factory side i think, deffo nothing parallel to the road on the factory side anyway.

yes latterly that was the case but I think I recall an earlier layout, I certainly recall seeing one of the diesels and that wouldn't have been the other side of the road surely.

David Parks has posted pics on the net of a yard being demolished by GSRPS....I always assumed it was the yard of my memories. (I can't find them with a search so far)

h.gricer · 13-02-2017 07:31PM

Captain Chaos wrote: »

They are just the codes Irish Rail use for the flats. LP flats are 42ft long, LX are 47ft. LKs are 42ft set up for keg cages. I'm no sure the L designation for the 62ft flats, think they are LY if memory serves me.

LP holds a 40ft container which a very few nowadays, but they are good enough for tank traffic, LK holds 5 cages of kegs, LX holds 6 cages of kegs, modified LX holds 45ft container, now I hanker for the old days of the LY wagon, an LY was fitted with spark proof brake blocks and wheel guards, very special wagon for carrying ACRYLONITRILE for Asahi Ltd, Kilalla, Co Mayo.
An MX, PH, PY etc etc are all four wheelers, long gone, it's all bogies now, if I got a euro for everytime I took a photo of these trains, I'd be one millionaire gricer, the PY the 4wheel Asahi wagon, probably the nicest of the 4wheel wagons, this year is the 20th anniversary of the closure of Asahi.
Regards
h.gricer

GM228 · 13-02-2017 08:51PM

h.gricer wrote: »

LP holds a 40ft container which a very few nowadays, but they are good enough for tank traffic, LK holds 5 cages of kegs, LX holds 6 cages of kegs, modified LX holds 45ft container, now I hanker for the old days of the LY wagon, an LY was fitted with spark proof brake blocks and wheel guards, very special wagon for carrying ACRYLONITRILE for Asahi Ltd, Kilalla, Co Mayo.
An MX, PH, MY etc etc are all four wheelers, long gone, it's all bogies now, if I got a euro for everytime I took a photo of these trains, I'd be one millionaire gricer, the MY the 4wheel Asahi wagon, probably the nicest of the 4wheel wagons, this year is the 20th anniversary of the closure of Asahi.
Regards
h.gricer

The LY code was not specifically for the Acrylonitrile traffic, but rather the designation given to the first 98 42ft wagons to distinguish those delivered with the ESC Ride Control bogies because they had a lower payload of 41t compared to 48t of the later LP wagons.

But yes the LY fleet was fitted with spark proof blocks etc when they replaced the silver 4 wheelers.

Del.Monte · 13-02-2017 09:03PM

Isambard wrote: »

yes latterly that was the case but I think I recall an earlier layout, I certainly recall seeing one of the diesels and that wouldn't have been the other side of the road surely.

David Parks has posted pics on the net of a yard being demolished by GSRPS....I always assumed it was the yard of my memories. (I can't find them with a search so far)

Is the picture that you're looking for?

The steam crane is working in the exchange sidings which are still there - parallel to the Mallow/Tralee line.

Isambard · 14-02-2017 07:52AM

thanks, I'm wrong so.

It was only a fleeting memory, one of those I meant to go back and revisit but never did. I thought there was sidings the other side of the road too, which area later were bulldozed for a lorry park.

h.gricer · 14-02-2017 01:52PM

GM228 wrote: »

The LY code was not specifically for the Acrylonitrile traffic, but rather the designation given to the first 98 42ft wagons to distinguish those delivered with the ESC Ride Control bogies because they had a lower payload of 41t compared to 48t of the later LP wagons.

Many thanks for that clarification GM228.
4 wheelers PY = spark-proof, PT = 20ft capable of carrying 2*10fts, PH = a 20ft capable of carrying 1* 20ft, timber PH was the 20ft pulpwood wagon, MX 20ft keg wagon, the 20.35 North Wall to North Esk liner always had a great selection of 4 wheel wagons, you'd hear it before you'd see it on the jointed track at Cabra, ''clickety clack, clickety clack'' lol
Regards
hg

Irish Sugar, Mallow

Comments